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IDProjectCategoryView StatusLast Update
0004105unrealircdpublic2015-07-10 13:08
ReporternenolodAssigned Tosyzop  
PriorityhighSeveritymajorReproducibilityN/A
Status closedResolutionnot fixable 
Summary0004105: some files need copyright holdership clarification
Descriptionhi,

"The UnrealIRCd team" is not actually an incorporated legal entity, so we need to fix copyright assignments which refer only to "The UnrealIRCd team."

in the USA, these copyright statements are invalid meaning that those files cannot be legally used.

a list of files that need clarification:

include/threads.h: "(C) 2001 The UnrealIRCd Team - [email protected]"

include/types.h: "(C) 2003 The UnrealIRCd Team"

src/ircsprintf.c: "Copyright (c) 1997", no name here. Carlo Wood listed as author, so attributing copyright to him is sufficient as he most likely wrote the entirety of that file.

src/s_kline.c: "Copyright (c) 1999-2005 The UnrealIRCd Team", i *think* stskeeps wrote this.

src/cidr.c: "All parts of this program are Copyright(C) 2001(or later)." This looks to be derivative of hybrid-7 (specifically Dianora's work), so copyright lines should be added for Dianora and whoever modified it since then.

src/updconf.c: "Copyright (C) 2001 UnrealIRCd team", Dominic Meglio (codemastr) wrote this.

pretty much every file in src/modules/*.c needs to be fixed, most of them are "(C) 2004 The UnrealIRCd Team"
TagsNo tags attached.
3rd party modules

Activities

syzop

2012-04-17 21:06

administrator   ~0016981

Last edited: 2012-04-17 21:07

> In the USA, these copyright statements are invalid meaning that those files cannot be legally used.

I seriously doubt that such a thing would make it illegal to use the software.

Quick google: http://www.iusmentis.com/copyright/notice/ - see 'Effects of a notice'.

**

How do other projects manage this? Do we have to update the copyright for every commit from a person / when someone submitted a patch? And again update it when it's next year?
Person X 2009, 2011
Person Y 2010-2012
Person Z... etc...
!? :)

Is it necessary to put it in each .c file, or can we use a single file where all authors are named... without needing to explain exactly who did what part... which, after all, can be found in the commit log / changelog.

Since you mention this issue, perhaps you've done some research on how other projects do this? Naturally, other people may share their opinion as well.

Basically, not only look at how to 'fix' the current situation (if necessary), but also how to make it workable for the future.

nenolod

2012-04-18 13:47

reporter   ~0016982

I think if there is a document in the root of the source tree listing the contributors, then "The UnrealIRCd Team" would be fine if it had an explicit pointer to that file.

Issue History

Date Modified Username Field Change
2012-04-15 16:10 nenolod New Issue
2012-04-17 21:06 syzop Note Added: 0016981
2012-04-17 21:07 syzop Note Edited: 0016981
2012-04-17 21:07 syzop Status new => feedback
2012-04-18 13:47 nenolod Note Added: 0016982
2015-07-10 13:07 syzop Status feedback => closed
2015-07-10 13:08 syzop Assigned To => syzop
2015-07-10 13:08 syzop Resolution open => not fixable